Fireflies
by DramionePerfected
Summary: My first Hairspray x When Seaweed leaves for Vietnam, Penny must do all she can to stop the music ending. In a bid to get him home saftely, everyone must pull together to get the chocolate prince back to his vanilla queen.
1. Open Your Mind, Be Colour Blind!

_DRAMIONEPERFECTED NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS_

_**Disclaimer: **__My friends have told me I'm legend, but obviously not. After all, I don't own Hairspray… or Harry Potter… or anything else I write about on this website. _

_**A/N: **__Inspiration was taken from 'The Help', the amazing book by Kathryn Stockett, the song 'Fireflies' by Owl City, 'Yankee Girl', a 60's based book by Mary Ann Rodman … and of course, Hairspray and the events surrounding that era. Hope you enjoy x_

_**Dedicated to Rosa Parks, a black woman who changed history in the 50's when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She said "She was just tired', but what she did helped change the lives of many.**_

* * *

_**FIREFLIES**_

_August 8th__ 1963_

Mr Willows was an old, old man. He had worked for nearly all his years, all seventy-nine of them, in downtown Baltimore, in his candy store _"Sugar and Spice"_. He worked hard, and was proud of what he had made for himself: a successful business, in perfect line with all the other respectable retails: _Mr Pinkie's Hefty Hideaway, The Hardy-Ha Hut Joke Shop_, and about fifty other places that lined the long, busy street, bustling with tired-out people going about their blue-collar lives. He served the children all day long, perhaps throwing in a licorice whip or a piece of Hershey's if they spent a certain amount at his store, or just looked like they needed cheering up, and occasionally he would step outside for a moment, and would hear Elvis crooning softly from the record store across the street. Mr Willows had so much, but almost no-one to share it with: his wife had passed in the winter of '55, and his only son had left Maryland to seek fame and fortune in California - he didn't want his old pa's candy business, not unless there was going to be a movie or a song about it. He was scared, scared of what the future might hold, scared of falling to sleep one night and never waking up. He wasn't getting any younger, and he was worried, worried about losing everything. In the end, Willows had only confided this in one person, his favourite customer - Penelope Pingleton.

Young Penny always listened to what he had to say, whether she was buying treats for herself and friends, or just passing by: they were close, like grandfather and granddaughter. Sweet-toothed and sweet-tempered, she was always wistful, charming and polite. This particular day, however, he noticed something different in her eyes: it was a look of excitement, adrenaline, fear of being caught, and also of deep thought. She didn't have to say a word, as it soon became apparent. She stood out on the pavement, a raspberry lollipop in her hand, when a run-down Chevy came careering across the street; dusty and ancient in comparison to the shiny new cars being driven by the upper-class Baltimoreans. The biggest shock of all, though, was the driver - a young man with mahogany skin and a voice as rich as chocolate, singing along to the Motown hit as he swerved into the curb, where he rolled down his window.

"_Hop in, baby girl." _Willows looked in shock from blue-eyed Penny to the ebony-haired driver, certain there was a mistake - but this was not so. She flung her arms around his shoulders through the open window, gaining lots of shocked stares and whispers from passers by, and slipped into the front passenger seat beside him. The young man looked up at staring Willows and caught his eye, before nodding and turning away to start the engine, and revved as he pulled out onto the road, did a u-turn and sped off into the distance in the direction of the dark, dank, dangerous Ghetto's on the outskirts of the city.

"_For when Prudy finds out…" murmured Willows. "So help her God."_

* * *

_A/N: Absolute crap so far, but I do like reviews (hint hint) xxx next chapter in a mo! Talk to me. Thankya and goodnight. Much love (Kudos if you know what I'm talking about!) 3 DramionePerfected xxx genius _


	2. One Last Dance

_DRAMIONEPERFECTED NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS_

_**A/N: **__Inspiration was taken from 'The Help', the amazing book by Kathryn Stockett, the song 'Fireflies' by Owl City, 'Yankee Girl', a 60's based book by Mary Ann Rodman … and of course, Hairspray and the events surrounding that era. Hope you enjoy x_

Disclaimer: I own a real cute laptop, but not Hairspray. Sorry Nan. We're not going to the Ritz on Sunday after all :(

* * *

FIREFLIES

3rd September 1963

As fall approached, the meetings outside _"Sugar and Spice" _were more and more frequent. Their presence was always identified the wall of music being blasted from the transistor radio Seaweed carried with him in his battered, black, third-hand Chevy: sometimes it was a soulful Detroit sound, like the Stevie Wonder or the Supremes; sometimes it was the stereotypical 'white-approved' tunes - Dion, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley; and sometimes, rarely, very rarely, it was some of the newest hits from The Monkees, or the very latest to hit Baltimore: a British boy band with silly hair and an even sillier name - The Beatles. Tracy and Penny had loved them, Link had hated them and Seaweed had just laughed. "Not bad, for a cracker boy!" he had told them, shaking his head at Link's look of disgust whilst Penny and Tracy had done the twist up and down the length of Motormouth Records to 'Please, Please Me.'

_There had been good times, good laughs, but one day, there was no music_.

Seaweed pulled up to meet Penny, but there wasn't a pause, a hug. They drove straight up and out of the town, stopping on the road out of the city, parking between the trees - a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Seaweed Stubbs took his lover's hand in his, and there was a moment of silence as their skin met: black on white, ebony on ivory, chocolate on vanilla. Eventually, it was Penny who broke the silence.

"Is this about what they said about Martin Luther King?"

"Yeah, baby girl… in a sense." There was another pause, a deafening silence that seemed to stretch the air around them. After what seemed like an eternity, Penny spoke again.

"Seaweed… what are you thinking?" It was then Seaweed realised the pained expression he was pulling. He sat up straight, and turned to look Penny in the eye. Over the time he had known her, he had learned that it was better to address her directly, instead of making a scene avoiding the subject. "The reason I say 'In a sense' is because of what _he_ said." Penny nodded, indicating he should go on. "He said that we - not just you and me - but everyone in the world, could stand together as the glory of the lord is revealed." As he said this, Penny couldn't help but think of her mother at home, who would be sitting with her leather-bound bible, bitter and prejudice, acting holy and almighty; and Maybelle, who meant every prayer with all her heart, who would be with Inez, reading the Lords Prayer from a second-hand copy of the New Testament borrowed from Preacher Johnson before putting Inez to bed. Who would God favour when that moment came, when all his glory was revealed? It was almost stupid to think of Maybelle and Prudence being loved equally.

"He wants peace, Penny, he wants peace and love, but how can there be peace and love when so many men are out at war?" Seaweed sighed heavily, like a huge weight was balanced on his shoulders. "It needs to end, but it can't, not like _that_." Seaweed snapped his fingers. " Now the war has started, it needs to be fought, and finished, won or lost, one way or another, so that we can come home in peace." He looked back to her, and saw the tears in her eyes. "I need to be part of this. I need to go to this war, so the war here can be won." He sighed again, sounding like all the air was being sucked out of him. Penny grasped his hand. "You're going Vietnam?" She asked, looking deep into his eyes.

"I think so. I need to make momma proud" For a while he just held her, lost deep in thought, until another question arose.

"You always say that, Seaweed. Everytime something big happens, you say you've got to make your momma proud. Why, Sea?" But he didn't answer: he just sat there, looking through the smeary window-screen at the setting sun. "Sea?" Penny pestered. "What did your momma do before the Corny Collins show, Sea? This is something to do with that, isn't it"

Seaweed bit his lip. "It was my fault."

"What was?"

"She always said it ain't my fault, but it was, I know it. I should have waited."

"Sea…"

"_I done got my momma fired, ok?"_

There was a shocked silence, and when Penny looked over, she wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes.

"It was a few years back: I was ten, Inez was four. We weren't living in Baltimore; we lived down south… in, um… Mississippi. _Sugar Ditch._" His voice was a whisper, quiet and ashamed. "Mom spent a good two years looking for work - we were near-starved, I can tell you. I remember her sitting up at some godforsaken hour a' night, with bills and job listings all around her on the table. Eventually, she found work: a job in Jackson, working for some snooty white lady. _The Help" _He confirmed, looking Penny straight in the eye. "It wasn't anything fancy, but she was over the moon: mostly cause we could leave Tunica, and Inez and I could get a proper education instead of running around town dropping off momma's résumé to everywhere we could walk to. She never asked us, we just… _did."_

"What happened?"

"One day, our nanny, Miss Constantine, was sick. Mom had to sneak us to work with her: by chance, there was some shop opening five miles north a' town, so White Lady wasn't home. We were good mostly, staying out a' momma's way, but about five minutes before she finished, I needed the bathroom. Momma was runnin' round cleaning, so she just told me to go." Seaweed closed his eyes. "Well, I was only young, and I didn't know about their funny ways then, so I just ran and went. _Well, I done gone an' went into the wrong bathroom!"_

Penny stared, perplexed, urging Seaweed to explain. "In this ladies house, there were three bathrooms: the main bathroom, the guest bathroom, and momma's bathroom."

"Oh!" said Penny, not understanding in the slightest.

"No, baby girl, not 'Oh!'. White Lady didn't wanna be sharing her bathroom with momma, 'cause she's… black." He sighed for the third time since their arrival. "The thing was, the lady came home early. Walked in just as I was leaving her fancy bathroom. She completely flipped. Told momma she was a no-good nigra who needed to know where to draw the line. She didn't care that I was only a kid. By that afternoon, we were on the streets."

"Sea, I-" Penny breathed, as she pulled him into a rib-crushing hug. Neither said a word, until Seaweed pulled away.

"It's ok, though." he smiled. "A few days later, she was at the record store, singing, when a guy called Howard Collins heard her."

"Co… Not _Corny!"_

"_Got it in one, baby girl! He said that he was starting a new teen dance show, something fresh, something hip, up in Baltimore. He asked if she'd come and help, and the rest is history."_

"_Wow."_

Seaweed reached out, taking Penny's hand once more, and together they stood outside the car in the twilight, his transistor radio blaring the sweet tunes of Dianna Ross. Penny pointed upwards, showing him the glowing specks of light that hovered above them. "I love fireflies." she sighed. "It's like they live for dancing, it's just what they do!" Seaweed chuckled.

"_What kind of dance are they doing now, then, baby girl?" _

"_A foxtrot," she smiled. "Definitely a foxtrot"_

They watched the fireflies dance for a while - twisting, jiving, spinning - and they soon joined in, twirling under the blanket of stars until they felt like the dance would never end. Penny looked up into Seaweed's , asking the question she had been meaning to ask since the beginning.

"When are you going to Vietnam?"

"I leave for the recruitment centre tomorrow."

"_Then please," Penny whispered, tears making tracks on her cheeks. "Can I have one last dance?"_

* * *

_REVIEW! This chapter took me ages, with literally hours of research, so please make it worth my while! Much love xxx_


	3. When Life Gives You Lemons,,,

_DRAMIONEPERFECTED NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS_

_**A/N: **__Inspiration was taken from 'The Help', the amazing book by Kathryn Stockett, the song 'Fireflies' by Owl City, 'Yankee Girl', a 60's based book by Mary Ann Rodman … and of course, Hairspray and the events surrounding that era. Hope you enjoy x_

_Disclaimer: No, no I bloody well don't _

_**FIREFLIES**_

_5__th__ October 1963_

After the meeting in September, Penny abruptly ended her visits to Mr Willows candy store. Mr Willows felt more alone than ever; he had heard that Prudy had threatened to throw her daughter out of the house, and frankly, he was astounded. How could something as simple as love cause so much hate? He knew something was deeply wrong, and now Baltimore was a place where Penny was all alone. As he served a box of his finest taffy to a group of young children, he had an idea. Stepping into the back room, he packaged up a hamper of candy: raspberry lollipops, chocolate coins, rainbow drops - all Penny's favourites. He added a label: _To Penny P: When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. I know you hate that stuff. Instead, throw them back and say 'Where's my candy, Punk?' Until life gives you candy, I hope this will tide you over. Mr W._

Mr Willows smiled sadly. Penny was such a sweet girl, but without love she was almost ruined. He could only hope a gift would cheer her up.

That night, Penny received the hamper. The note made her laugh, reminded her of her love who was so many miles away. She hoped he was happy, holding up, and wished that she could know if he missed her as much as she did him. Little did she know that in Vietnam, whilst he listened to the music of Diana Ross and watched the fireflies dance, all her chocolate prince could think of was his vanilla queen.

* * *

_Very short chappie. Review you fools, review! Love ya x_


	4. Letters From Nam I

_DRAMIONEPERFECTED NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS_

_**A/N: **__Inspiration was taken from 'The Help', the amazing book by Kathryn Stockett, the song 'Fireflies' by Owl City, 'Yankee Girl', a 60's based book by Mary Ann Rodman, Hairspray, the events surrounding that era, and, for this particular chapter, the 'Letter's From Nam' chapter in 'The Mighty Book of Boosh' :-) Hope you enjoy x_

_Disclaimer: Do I look like a Broadway genius to you? Oh yeah, the computer screen. It's kind of in the way, isn't it? Well, let's pretend…_

* * *

_**FIREFLIES**_

_**Chapter 4 - Letters From 'Nam I**_

_19th October 1963_  
_Miss. Penelope Pingleton,_  
_2964 Keswick Road,_  
_Baltimore, MD__,_  
_U.S.A._

Dearest Penny,

Just a little message to say I got to 'Nam ok. It's a bit weird to be in a place so different from the good old U.S of A, but I'm sure I'll adjust. It's only been training this past week or so, and no matter how many times I am told, I still can't see what role we Americans have in this war. Being the youngest soldier here, I'm having to fight for a bit of respect, but the Sgt. Moon is showing me the ropes, and soon I'll be as good as some people who have been here three, four months longer than me. Sg. says I'm a born soldier: don't know if I should be proud of that or not, but here, it's a good thing, cause people like me have to be able to look after themselves, and not just against the Yellow Man.

How are things at home? Are Mom and Inez o.k. without me? And Tracy and Link? I hope as much. They're good people, I don't want them to spend their days worrying about little ol' me. And you? Are you o.k.? I sure hope so, Baby girl, I sure do. You keep you chin up, and stay well. I hope if you ever you're lonely, you'll watch them fireflies, or listen to a little Motown, and think of me. Trust me, Baby girl, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of you.

Keep laughing, keep loving, keep dancing.

All my love,

Seaweed xxx

* * *

_Just a 'filler' chapter, but still, I've put a lot of research into making sure Penny lived in the "right area" of Baltimore, trying to use real streets, white, working-class neighbourhoods, etc. My apologies if that happened with some wild coincidence to be your address, I just needed to make sure it was the right area, timing, etc. - Review! x love Drammy xxx_


	5. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

_DRAMIONEPERFECTED NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS_

_This chapter is named after that brilliant song by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. As has been said in the past 4 chapters, I don't own. If you still think I do, you're delirious. Oh, and much love to VendettaAndGrunge, who gave me the longest review in the history of reviews - and some amazing advice. In true Baltimore spirit, thanks, Hon! X :-)_

* * *

_**FIREFLIES**_

_**Chapter 5 - Why Do Fools Fall in Love?**_

_28__th__ October 1963_

After receiving Seaweed's first letter from 'Nam, Penny felt his absence was more obvious than ever. Her life became a misery, and not one person could deny it. She treaded sadly about the town, a weight on her shoulder and a cloud above her head. She stopped eating candy altogether; she never watched Tracy or Link or Inez dance anymore, let alone joined in - in fact, it was as if her life had pretty much ended. She was an empty shell of a girl; her eyes, once a bright and shining blue, seemed as grey as the October sky. And though outwards her face was collective and blank, inside Penny was on the edge, and just the smallest thing would make her snap.

On the afternoon of Monday, 28th October 1963, Penny was reaching breaking point. She shuffled through the school halls, Seaweed's letter clutched close to her chest as she made for Math class. She had read it one hundred times, and one hundred times again, tracing every loop and squiggle and cross in his inky writing with the tip of her pinkie finger. If she closed her eyes, it was like she could still hear him - still _feel _him. If she strained her ears, she could hear the beats of The Marvellettes and The Supremes playing from the so-called 'special-ed' room… the room where Seaweed would spend his days joking and singing with all the other kids who weren't permitted to join her lessons, despite their academic ability… the other Negro kids.

The school-bell rang again, loud and shrill, and Penny opened her eyes just in time to catch glimpse of a blur of silver as a bobby-pin hit her in the nose - hard. High-pitched giggles filled the air as Amber Von Tussle stepped into view, linking onto the arms of Shelley and Brenda and smirking from ear to ear. "Oops!" Her voice sounded sickly sweet, but was as bitter as poison. "Should watch where you're going, Pingleton." Amber smiled sweetly, batting her lashes. "Wouldn't want you to trip up, now, would we, Hon?"

Brenda snorted, turning her head away. Penny glared, looking daggers at the back of her head. '_What a tramp.'_ she thought. _'As if we don't know what that nine-month break was for. Mom at sixteen - your parents must be so proud.' _Shelley giggled. "Wow, Penny! We're just being _nice! Somebody's _feeling a little… tightly wound."

Amber stepped forwards, and prodded Penny forcefully in the shoulder, knocking her back. Startled, Penny dropped the letter to the ground. Brenda pounced, and scooped it up with the tips of her scarlet-painted talons, shrieking with delight. "Aw, I forgot! The little nigger-lover's boyfriend's went on out to Nam! Hey, Shelley, ain't this cute?" The girls scrambled for the letter like angry vultures, tugging and shoving.

"Oh, Lordy! The negro can write!"  
"As if! He probably has a _scribe."  
_"Oh, I thought as much. The page _is_ a little too _clean " _

Penny was forced to stand against the wall, helpless, hands balled into fists at her sides. Rage surged through her like a tidal wave, blood pounding in her ears, her face turning scarlet. "Leave it!" she yelled. "Leave it alone!"

Amber's smirk widened. "Relax, Hon. I won't hurt it." Her voice dropped to a hiss, callous and cruel. "A letter from a negro soldier? Don't expect another. They're just as hated over there, if not more. He'll be dead by the end of the week - and good riddance." And with that, she dropped the letter to the ground, tearing across the address as it went.

At that moment, something inside Penny snapped, turning her vision red. Within a few seconds, a scream echoed throughout the corridor, causing both student and teacher to run out of the class to witness the commotion. Amber was reeling backwards, clutching her cheek as a trickle of blood dripped onto her pale pink dress, leaving a startling crimson smear across the collar. "She… s-she hit me! You clawed me, you little cat!" Amber's cry was indignant. A small crowd began to gather around them, whispering and pointing.

"Penelope Pingleton! How _dare _you attack another student!" Mr Russo, the principal, stood glowering before them, a look of sheer fury upon his face. "Miss Von Tussle could have been seriously hurt! This behaviour is _completely_ unacceptable. _Never_, in all my time as a - _Pingleton_! Are you even listening to me?" Penny gazed at the peeling green painted on the main entrance door, unable to comprehend what had happened. It was like she had lost all self control; like she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried. The letter lay crumpled at her feet; Penny picked it up, smoothing it, doing her best to ignore the staring students and the ranting principal. "You mother will be informed, and you will be removed to detention immediately! Pingleton? Pingleton!"

Heart pounding furiously in her chest, Penny turned and ran; ran from the corridor, from the principal, from the squealing Amber and her cronies, out of the school and onto the streets. The teacher's were yelling after her, but now she had started running, she just couldn't stop. _If she wasn't in trouble then, she most certainly was now._

* * *

Sooner or later the screams and shouts faded out, leaving Penny with the hum of car engines and the thumping of her own heart. What had she done? A few weeks ago, Penny wouldn't have dreamed of starting a fight, or ignoring the principal, or of running out of school. And when Prudy finds out… Penny gulped, her legs turning to lead, and forced herself to keep on walking. In the end, she ended up in one of the few places she had felt safe, like she really belonged - Motormouth Records.

The bell tinkled as the troubled teen stepped inside. The store appeared empty - Maybelle was most likely out, at station WYZT to help set up for the Corny Collins show before the stars were dismissed early from class. Alone, Penny sank to the ground, tears falling from her eyes, her sobs barely audible above the singing of Little Eva. It seemed like an eternity until a pair of warm arms wrapped around her, pulling her to her feet. "Oh, hush, child. Don't you cry, don't you cry!" Penny pulled back to see the kind, chocolate brown eyes of Maybelle Stubbs, full of concern, gazing down at her. "Maybelle? Shouldn't you be at the studio?"

"Why Penny, shouldn't you be in class?" Maybelle spoke kindly, but realised immediately she had made a terrible mistake as Penny began to sob harder than ever.

"Oh Maybelle, I'm gonna be in so much trouble!" Maybelle pulled Penny back into her warm embrace, rocking her like a baby.

"There, there, Honey. It'll be ok." Maybelle led Penny through the back of the shop to her apartment, and sat her down at the kitchen table. As Maybelle fussed around the room, pouring out two mugs of cocoa, Penny looked at the pictures on the mantelpiece: almost all of which featured Seaweed, laughing, posing, hugging Inez and his grandmother… and in the last picture on the mantelpiece, Penny herself. They were sitting in Mr Frosty's ice-cream parlour, tall thin glasses in front of them, the flavours melting and mingling: strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. It had been really hot that day, the start of an Indian summer, and they'd gone for a sundae and iced tea. The jukebox had been playing 'Teenager in Love' by Dion and The Belmont's, and Seaweed had laughed at her when she had started singing along.

"_What, Sea? Am I that bad?" Seaweed had shook his head, holding her hand., grinning like he'd never stop.  
_"_I think it's beautiful."_

"That was our first date."  
Maybelle looked up. "What's that, Hon?"  
"The picture." Penny sighed wistfully, gesturing vaguely towards the framed image. "We'd been on a date to the ice-cream parlour, it was so hot that day, and the owner took that picture for us."  
Maybelle took the picture from the mantle, propping it against the fruit bowl. "I knew there was reason he wanted me to keep it for you."  
"_For me?"  
_"You got that right, Hon." Maybelle handed her picture, frame and all. Carved in tiny letters at the bottom read the family name - Stubbs. Penny's heart beat faster as she slipped it into her bag, barely noticing as Maybelle said: "It's cause of my Sea you gone got inta trouble today, ain't it?"

"What's that, May?" Maybelle smiled, a knowing look upon her face.

"I know a here guilty look when I see one, mm-hmm." Maybelle sighed, placing the mug straight onto the creaking, groaning kitchen table, adding another water-ring to the kaleidoscopic pattern that was ingrained deep into the woodwork after years of loyally serving the family. Penny imagined her mother Prudy, how she'd itch to grab the nearest throw or cloth and cover up the stains, how she'd long to set out enough coasters to support the cups of a small army, and woe betide those who ignored their purpose. She imagined her mother at home, on the phone to the principal, cursing her name, belt coiled at her side, awaiting her daughter's arrival. Penny shuddered, and knew begrudgingly that if anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Miss Maybelle Stubbs. "Look, Maybelle, it's almost four o'clock, and you need to get to the station, and once I start talking, I just won't stop."

"Nice try Hon. Today's my day off. I got all the time in the world" Maybelle rose, gesturing for her to go ahead into the living room. It was a small room, with fading green walls, and a fading beige floor, and a tiny black-and-white set in the corner. The mother flicked on the set, and after a few seconds of grainy, crackly nothingness, the picture came into view. The Corny Collins Show had just begun.

The upbeat bass seemed almost surreal in comparison to Penny's tears as she told of that days happenings, of Amber, of the letter, of the principal, and of what her mother would do if she found out. "… and I know I shouldn't care what they say, but I do, I do! That's why I did what I did!" Penny cried, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks and onto Maybelle's ruby-red-clad shoulder . "I did what I did because I _love _him! I love him with all my heart, and no bully nor principle, nor mother, not even a whole goddamn war is gonna stop me!"  
Penny stared defiantly at Maybelle, expecting to see a look of pity, hut was instead met with a study gaze to meet her own. "Penny," said Maybelle, cocoa in one hand, cigarette in the other. "How old be you, girl?"  
"I'm seventeen, ma'am. Eighteen in April."  
"_Eighteen in April. _Lordy, don't time fly? Near old enough to start makin your own choices, wouldn't you say?"  
There was an edge of deeper meaning her voice, one that Penny recognised well. The same voice she used to make a point, to make a stand. "Penny, I know your momma ain't giving you an easy ride when you get home. And what's more, I know you don't care for a second what that stuck-up hussy thinks"

Maybelle grabbed Penny's hand, almost urgently. "Penny, girl. I know you know your mind. And I know your momma knows hers. Just you know… if ever you need to get away from all that-" here Maybelle paused to stir the contents of her mug and nod toward the window, as if Prudy was out there as they spoke, "-there's always room for one more here."

Penny rose from her seat, leaving the cocoa untouched, and pulled Maybelle into a brief hug. "Thank you. For everything." And with that, Penny left, and walked the long windy way through the ghettoes home, her small smile revealing her heart was lighter than it had been moments before.

* * *

When Prudence Pingleton arrived home from Bible Class that evening, there was something strange about her surroundings. The very air seemed too quiet, too still. It was her house, but yet, it was not. Only her shoes sat beside the doormat; on her coat hug from the peg. In the hall, small, pale squares that had been hidden by lopsided Kindergarten ashtrays were visible, and in the living room, the years school certificates and class photos were gone. Reaching out for the coil of rope she kept hung beside the door, she called out to her daughter, long, shrill and impatient. "Penny? PENNY?" When only silence met her, fury that she had previously hidden exploded outwards, like fireworks on the 4th of July. Thundering up the stairs, she flung herself forwards, expecting to hit the usually barred door. The door, however, flew open, leaving Prudy lying on the floor of the empty room where once her daughter had slept. Leaping up wildly, she spun round and round, but yet still it was only her in the bare room, and nothing other than one single framed photo; of the Pingletons when they were a family, when they were a whole. Running from the house to the street, Prudy let out a wild shriek as she realised Perfect Penny had gone for good.

* * *

_Soooo, yeah. I took a while on this one. But I've watched Forrest Gump for the millionth time and I'm finally getting some ideas. Wish me luck! R&R xxx_


End file.
